Simple Kind of Life

Lili sat with her legs dangling from the bench as Jeff knelt in front of her, opening up a shoe box.

“Does falling hurt?” She asked, watching him closely as he pulled out a pink ice skate.

“Sometimes.” He said honestly, earning a frown from the child and a laugh from Avery. She was lacing up her own skates on the bench next to them. “But no one’s going to let you fall, OK?”

She nodded slowly as he slid her skates on her little feet and tied them up. Her dark eyes examined the buzzing locker room, soaking it all in. The Flyers organization was holding a family skate night and the normally testosterone filled man cave was now crawling with the wives and children of the players and some of the staff. Jeff had been with the Flyers for nearly a decade and this was the first time he had attended one of these get-togethers. He never saw the point until he found out that neither Lili nor Avery could ice skate. It was unacceptable in his eyes.

The child leaned forward and cupped a hand over his ear to share a secret. “It’s smelly in here.”

Jeff chuckled as he popped a wool hat on her head. “That’s because boys are smelly. Stay away from them.”

“Especially if they play hockey.” Cam joined in, sitting next to the child on the bench. The girl had agreed to watch after Lili while Jeff taught Avery how to skate. “You ready to get out there and give those smelly boys a run for their money?”

Lili nodded and hopped off the bench. She teetered on the skates, but gained her balance after grabbing Cam’s hand. “C’mon, I’m ready to go.”

Avery looked nervous as she stood up on wobbly legs and gripped Jeff’s arm. They followed Cam and Lili through the locker room and out to the ice.

Lili wasn’t graceful but the huge smile brightening her face made Jeff’s day. Cam had the child by the hands while she skated backward, pulling the girl around the rink. If only he could get Avery to step foot on the ice.

“It’s not gonna bite.” Jeff said, nodding toward the rink.

“I know,” Avery huffed, crossing her arms. “I just…I need a minute to stare it down. Ya know, intimidate the ice.”

Jeff chuckled and shook his head as he reached for her arm. “C’mon, Av. Your daughter is out there, she’s having a great time.”

Avery smiled warmly as she watched Lili play with Cam and Carcillo. Dan was gripping her limbs and spinning her around. “I hope he doesn’t dislocate her arms.”

“She’ll be fine. Let’s go.”

“Jeff-”

“Get your ass out there.” She fought him as he pulled her from the safety of the sidelines and onto the ice. Her legs bowed as she tried to keep her balance while pawing at him in an attempt not to fall. Jeff grabbed her at the waist, steadying her.

“This is stupid. Why is ice so slippery?” She ranted, pouting at Jeff while he led her around the ice.

“Because it’s science. Just relax and go with the flow.” He pulled her close, loving how she was exactly the right height to place his chin on the top of her head comfortably.

“I can’t go with the flow, I’ll end up on my butt.” She grinned at him as her legs wobbled. “You make this look so easy.”

“Well yeah, I’ve been doing it since I was a baby. I can’t believe you’ve never skated before.”

She rolled her dark eyes at him. “You Canadians come out of the womb with skates on.”

“Which is why it’s so offensive that you can’t skate. No girlfriend of mine will be a shitty skater.”

Avery froze and searched his eyes with hers. “Who said I was your girlfriend?”

He wasn’t sure what to say. The word just rolled out of his mouth and now it was out in the open. It felt strange and foreign, but he didn’t hate it. It didn’t scare him anymore. “Me.”

Her forehead wrinkled as if she were mulling over the idea. “I don’t recall you ever asking if I wanted to be your girlfriend.”

Jeff’s shoulders slumped. She was really going to give him a hard time over this. “You’re gonna make me do this, huh?”

The corners of her lips twitched as she nodded. He could tell she loved to watch him squirm. “Yep.”

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you think you’d want to be exclusive? Ya know, with me?”

Avery shrugged. “I’ll think about it.”

He laughed, pulling away from her and leaving her to fend for herself.

He left her stranded in the middle of the ice, arms flailing. "Jeff!" She screeched as her legs shook.

"I can't hear you." He sang, lazily skating circles around the woman.

"OK!"

A smile pulled at Jeff's lips. "OK what?" He asked, his long arms folded in front of him.

"I'm your girlfriend. Please come get me before I bust my ass."

He quickly made his way over to her just in time to catch her under her arms.

"You're such a fucktard." She spat, a soft grin on her face.

"But I'm your fucktard." He dipped his head down and placed his chapped lips against hers. A cat call from Giroux caused the couple to part and Carter frowned at him. If he knew Avery wouldn't tear him a new asshole, he'd skate after the ginger and make him eat ice.

A gently squeeze on the hand from his girlfriend brought his glare from the back of G's sweater to Avery's face. "OK, so how does this skating thing work?"

*************************************************************************************************************

"Where could they have gone?" Avery muttered to herself through gritted teeth. New paint brushes don't just get up and walk away. Being an art teacher often meant you had to make do with limited supplies. The art department wasn't high on the list of priorities and funding usually was spent elsewhere first. If there was money left over, Avery normally had to battle with Kenneth Bartlett, the music teacher. It was easier to invest her own money into supplies than to go head to head with Kenny. So she had went a little crazy at a local art shop and purchased a couple sets of new paint brushes for the classroom. Avery looked forward to letting the fifth graders break them in, but now they were nowhere to be found.

This day was certainly not going how she wanted it. Liliana's grandmother called early that morning to tell her she couldn't watch the toddler because she was sick. And the stupid daycare wouldn't let Lili come back until her chicken pox blisters cleared up completely. So Jeff, in all his groggy glory, drove all the way down from the city to watch her while Avery went to work.

With a reluctant sigh, she grabbed a couple large recycled coffee canisters of old, frayed brushes and carried them from the supply room to the classroom. She placed them on the tables and peered at her watch. It was 10 minutes after 1pm and her fifth graders had yet to make an appearance.

"Fucking Carly." Avery growled as she tightened her ponytail. This will be the third day in a row she was late with her class even after Avery politely explained that Carly being late really puts her behind for the next class. Perhaps that was why the bitch continued to be late everyday that week.

Another five minutes later, she could hear the chaos of ten year olds scampering down the hall. Carly appeared in the door way, a smug grin on her face. The kids, still rowdy from their recess, filtered in and took their seats.

"You're late. Again." Avery struggled to keep her tone neutral and steady over the buzz of the chattering children.

"Sorry. It's hard to pull them away from the playground." The satisfied grin on the blonde's face didn't reflect her half-assed apology, but Avery ignored it. She refused to let this woman get under her skin.

"Yeah, not every teacher has the ability to control their class."

Carly scoffed, but continued to smirk. "Look at those brushes," She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, eliciting a sound of disapproval as she shook her head. "They're so old and stained. It's a shame you can't get new ones."

Avery narrowed her eyes at the woman, finding it strange that she'd mention the brushes.

"Where did you put them?" She blurted out, knowing Carly had something to do with the missing supplies.

The blonde gave her a confused expression, but her blue eyes still twinkled. "Whatever do you mean?"

Avery just shook her head. She was wasting her time with Carly. She was so spiteful, she'd never admit she took the brushes, let alone give them back. "Class starts at one. You better have your kids here on time tomorrow."

“I’ll be sure to,” She turned and headed toward the door before spinning back around. “And I’m sorry to hear about you and Jeff.”

Avery cocked her head to the side, not understanding what she meant. “What?”

Carly’s eyes widened and she placed her hand over her chest. “I just assumed you guys had broken up after what I read on the internet.”

“What did you read?”

The crinkling of Avery’s face made Carly’s smile brighter. “Oh, you don’t know. How pathetic."

Carly gave her one last grin before she left Avery alone with her class. The woman took a deep breath in an attempt to bury her anger and focus on the task at hand; settling down a pack of fifth graders and get them started on their watercolor projects. But her curiosity got the best of her. Once the kids were situated, she slipped into her supply room with her cell phone and frantically searched the web for news about her new boyfriend. Blog after blog detailing some bathroom hook up with the blond Flyer flashed on the screen of her phone. Should she feel betrayed? Should she feel hurt? Avery couldn’t validate the need to claim those feelings, but it didn’t stop her lower lip from trembling and the tears from clouding her vision. Time and time again, she told herself their relationship didn’t mean anything, that it wasn’t serious. She didn’t realize she had such strong feelings for Jeff until he had crushed them.

*************************************************************************************************************

Lili was perched in the front of the shopping cart with her legs hanging as Jeff pushed it through the supermarket. Carcillo walked beside him, his eyes fixated on his iPhone.

"What's next on the list?" Jeff asked, grinning as Lili peered at the shopping list. Her chubby finger traced over the letters scribbled on the piece of paper she was holding.

"Candy."

"That's not what it says."

She looked back at the list, frowning at his poor handwriting. Not that she could read anyway.

"Cookies." A dimple on the left side of her face deepened as she smiled widely at him.

"Dan's in charge of the list now." Having never liked being in charge of the shopping list to begin with, Lili gladly gave up the piece of paper to Carcillo.

"Ground meat is next," Dan read off the list. "But cookies aren't a bad idea."

"Can I get out and walk? My butt is falling asleep." Lili raised her arms and waited for Jeff to lift her out of the cart. He placed her on the ground and continued to push the cart as she walked between Dan and Jeff.

"Oh my gosh, she is so cute. Look at her little tutu." Two beautiful brunettes approached and fawned over Lili.

"What's your name, cutie?"

Lili's dark eyes shifted to Jeff as if she were looking for permission to talk to these two strangers. It reminded him of the first time he had met her six months ago when she hid behind a dining room table. She had given her mother the very same look before finally talking to him.

"It's OK.” Jeff said softly.

"Lili." She said shyly, looking down at her shoes.

"Hi Lili. You're just the cutest thing I've ever seen." One of the women cooed before turning her eyes to Jeff.

"Is she yours?" The other girl asked, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers. Dan looked over at Jeff, silently pleading for him to play along.

“No. She’s my buddy’s niece. He’s watching her for the day. Right, Dan?” Jeff clapped his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Right. The kid is my world.” Lili’s dark eyes followed the exchange between the men and two women with confusion, but she remained quiet.

“I bet you’re a wonderful uncle.” Jeff heard one of the girls say as he continued down the aisle, leaving Dan and Lili to work their magic. He’d have to apologize to Avery for letting his teammate for use her daughter as chick bait.

Jeff was pondering over whether to get ground chicken or ground beef for taco night when Dan saddled up next to him.

“Got both their numbers. Lili is the best wing-girl ever. Think Avery will let me bring her to a bar or two?”

“Doubtful,” Jeff’s eyes roamed around, but he didn’t see the budding wingman anywhere. “Where is she?”

Dan looked around too, completely puzzled. “I thought she went with you.”

Panic overwhelmed Jeff’s senses before terror set in. “Oh my God.” He breathed out and abandoned his cart in the meat aisle. He and Dan split up, taking opposite sides of the grocery store to search for the girl.

Horrible thoughts ran through his head, like news reports about children that are abducted, abused, and killed. If anything happened to Lili, he’d never been able to forgive himself.

And Avery. She’d be destroyed. Then after she collected herself, she’d destroy him too. He and Dan met in the middle of the grocery aisles with no Lili in sight.

“What the fuck am I gonna do?” Jeff asked, feeling a lump form in his throat. “I gotta find her.”

“Calm down, we’ll go to the front and have them announce it over the intercom. I bet they have a missing child code or some shit like that.” The two men headed to the front of the store toward the customer service counter.

“What if someone took her?” Jeff whispered, his voice shaking. “What if she’s hurt or scared or-“

Dan grabbed him by the hoodie, stopping Jeff in his tracks. “Or in the cookie aisle.”

Lili was pulling a box of Oreos from the shelf when he spotted her tiny form. He jogged toward the little girl and scooped her up, much to her delight. She giggled as he spun her around and hugged her closely.

“I got the cookies.”

“Don’t you ever go off on your own again. You scared the ever living shit out of me, Squeaks.”

“That’s money for the cuss jar, Jeff.” Her words were muffled against his chest as he continued to squeeze her.

Once Jeff's heart rate returned to normal, he finished up shopping and headed back to his apartment. Dan helped him put away the groceries while Lili watched. She was sitting Indian style on the island in the middle of his unusually large kitchen with a bowl of red grapes in her lap and Jeff’s phone in her hand.

"Have you ever cooked before?" She asked as she popped some fruit into her mouth.

"Not really. I don't really get to do it a whole lot."

The child tilted her head and peered up at Jeff. "My mommy is really good at cooking. Probably way better than you."

Dan’s boisterous laugh filled the kitchen. He just shrugged off Jeff's glare. "What? You know she's right."

"I looked up a recipe for tacos. They seem easy enough. Just meat, cheese and tortillas. How hard could that be?"

"Famous last words. You better order a pizza just in case."

Lili perked up at Dan's suggestion. "I call pepperoni."

"There will be no pizza ordering," Jeff huffed as he put away a quart of milk. "This is gonna be the best meal you ever ate."

Dan grinned at the child. "It was nice knowing you, kiddo."

Lili grimaced and put Jeff's phone down. "Why can't we just get pizza?"

"Because I told your mom I would actually cook her dinner." Jeff had gone home to Ontario for Canadian thanksgiving, but since his family didn’t celebrate it in November, he went over Avery’s house for a late turkey dinner. He opted to wait until James and his mother left before he came over. The dinner she prepared was impressive and Jeff inadvertently volunteered to cook for her. Av was hesitant to eat anything that the hockey player prepared, but she reluctantly agreed. And tonight was the night.

The child shrugged. "Well you should untell her."

Jeff sighed and folded his arms over his chest. "Eat your grapes."

“You better not hurt his feelings, Lil.” A devious grin spread across Dan’s face. “You might make Jeffie cry.”

“Shut up.”

“You were totally about to bawl your eyes out in the middle of the supermarket, pansy.” If a four year old wasn’t sitting on his kitchen counter, he’d have some choice words for Carcillo, but he elected to keep them to himself.

The intercom to Jeff’s apartment buzzed, indicating someone was downstairs wanting access to the building. The male peered at his watch, seeing that it was after 4pm.

“Is that mommy?” Lili asked, a big smile on her face.

“Yep. Should we let her up?” The girl nodded and stood with her arms out. Jeff picked her up and carried her to the intercom. Lili already knew to press the talk button.

“Who is it?” She called out.

“It’s mommy.” Even through the speaker, Jeff could tell there was something amiss. Avery’s usually soft tone now had an irritated quality to it. Lili then pressed the unlock button, allowing the woman to enter the building. A moment later, the front door creaked open to reveal a very somber looking Avery. Jeff immediately felt the lighthearted environment shift dramatically.

“Liliana, get your coat.” Her stern words seemed to shock all of them, especially Lili.

“But we’re ordering pepperoni pizza.” The child pouted as Jeff placed her on the ground.

“Av, what’s wrong?” Jeff asked, his eyebrows furrowed together.

“Is it true?” She inquired as she pulled out her cell phone and shoved it at him. His eyes wandered over the screen and his heart began to pound. It was a blog complete with pictures of him with a random blonde in a bathroom. He couldn’t even deny it.

“We got into that stupid fight and-”

“So you went out and banged a stranger in the men’s room of a bar? That’s how you react when we have an argument?”

“Hey Lil, why don’t we go play video games in Jeff’s room?” Dan took the child to a different room and closed the door, leaving the two adults alone.

Jeff sighed. “We weren’t really together then, Av.”

“No, you’re right. We weren’t. But you could have at least had the decency to give me a heads up.” Her voice shook, but the anger in it was obvious. “Instead, I have to find out about it from the one person I truly can’t stand.”

Fucking Carly. Jeff had a lot of failed relationships and one night stands, but Carly was the only one that wouldn’t go away.

“I was angry and freaked out and I did something stupid. It’s not like anything was official.” He watched as she gathered Lili’s coat, hat, and shoes. He made a move to grab her arm, but she pulled away from him sharply.

“Do not touch me,” She barked at him, making Jeff withdraw his hand from her elbow.

“C’mon, don’t leave.”

She shook her head. “I know we weren’t together, I know nothing was official. But I thought you at least respected me enough not to do something like this.”

“I do respect you. This has nothing to do with that. I just felt like I was being suffocated.” Immediately, Jeff regretted his choice of words but he couldn’t take it back now.

Avery’s shoulders slumped as she stared at him in disbelief. “Suffocated? You know what, Jeff? I’m done. You can have your wonderful, single life back.” She headed to Jeff’s bedroom to collect her daughter.

“I don’t want to go home,” The child whined as Avery helped her put on her coat. “I want to stay.”

“You can’t stay here.” She picked Lili up, much to the child’s dismay. Tears were beginning to accumulate around her dark eyes. Those watery eyes shifted to Jeff and pleaded with him to do something. He felt helpless and it hurt his heart to see how distraught the girl was.

“Why are you mad at Jeff?” She sobbed, wiping at her running nose.

“Because he’s a jerk.” Avery grabbed the knob to the front door and swung it open to make a quick exit. Jeff could hear Lili’s cries all the way down the hall, but they faded and disappeared.

“Dude,” Dan’s voice caught Jeff’s attention. “What happened?”

The blond sighed. “I’m a fucking idiot.”

“Are you gonna go after her?”

He shook his head. “I’ll give her a few days to cool off. Av is a reasonable girl, she’ll come around.”

“You think?”

Jeff silently hoped he was right, but he couldn’t shake the nervous feeling in the back of his head.